**Source:** Lenin Collection X, p. 22
**Date:** 1903-12-02

At the very beginning of Plekhanov's shift to the minority (November 1), Lenin officially declared his withdrawal from the editorial board of *Iskra*, and several days later (November 6) actually withdrew from the editorial staff and handed over all editorial affairs to Plekhanov (*Lenin Collection* VII, documents 73, 74, and 84, pp. 198–200, 214–216). However, in all his statements on this matter, Lenin invariably confirmed that, in withdrawing from the editorial board, he by no means refused to continue collaboration in the C.O.¹ At that same time, amid circumstances highly unfavorable for literary work, under conditions of extreme strain in relations with Plekhanov, in an atmosphere of gossip, petty squabbling, and backstage struggle by the émigré minority, he wrote and sent to the editorial office for the next issue of *Iskra* the first half of the article "The Populist-Minded Bourgeoisie and Bewildered Populism" (*Lenin Collection* VII, documents 96, 98, and 99, pp. 238–247, 250–252). Plekhanov's betrayal and his transfer of the editorial board into the hands of the Martinovites did not shake Lenin's intention to continue his collaboration with *Iskra*, and soon after the Martinovites were coopted into the editorial board, he sent his "Letter to the Editorial Board" regarding Plekhanov's article "What Is Not To Be Done?" in No. 52 of *Iskra* (Collected Works, Vol. IV, p. 515).

Here we present part of Lenin's correspondence with the new editorial board of *Iskra* in the very first days of its existence through one of its members, V. I. Zasulichi. From this correspondence it is evident that Lenin did not abandon his intention to continue collaborating with *Iskra* and that from the outset he displayed a fully loyal, comradely attitude toward the new editorial board.

## 119.

**V. I. ZASULICHI TO V. I. LENIN.**

**[No later than December 2, 1903. Geneva.]**

Esteemed Comrade!

The editorial board of *Iskra* gratefully accepts your offer of collaboration² and counts on its being of a permanent character both in *Iskra* and in *Zarya*. For the latter, we consider it highly desirable to receive a continuation of your essay on "Critics on the Agrarian Question." No. 5 of *Zarya* will appear, we anticipate, in mid-January. The "Letter to the Editorial Board," received today³, will go into No. 54, since No. 53 is already made up. No. 54 will appear, probably, very soon after No. 53. If this is inconvenient for you, then it would perhaps be possible to place the "Letter" in this issue, transferring the article on the agrarian question (it is already typeset) to No. 54⁴. Please inform us as soon as possible of your opinion on this.

On behalf of the editorial board,
I remain with respect,

V. Z[asulichi].

**NOTES:**

¹ On the reverse of the manuscript of this letter there is Lenin's reply to it printed below, dated "3/XII 03." Assuming that Lenin's reply followed immediately upon receipt of V. I. Zasulichi's letter, one can say with a certain degree of probability that the latter was written and sent no later than December 2.

² This passage proves that the present letter from V. I. Zasulichi was a reply to a preceding letter from V. I. Lenin, which we do not have at our disposal and in which, sending his "Letter to the Editorial Board" (see note 3 below), he once again confirmed his intention to collaborate in *Iskra*.

³ Here the reference is to the "Letter to the Editorial Board" regarding Plekhanov's article "What Is Not To Be Done?", which V. I. Lenin apparently sent with the aforementioned letter.

⁴ This is the first part of the article "The Populist-Minded Bourgeoisie and Bewildered Populism," which Lenin wrote and sent to Plekhanov in November for No. 52. But the article did not make it into that issue, arriving one day late. It was typeset for No. 53.